Mrs. Peasant's Tips to Quit Smoking

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
SERENITY PRAYER

I loved smoking. You aren't supposed to say that, but I did. I used tobacco as a tool of production. Smoking helped me get things done. I smoked to handle awful things, to not lose it, to keep going after failures, to quit crying over disappointments, to grieve intensely while not calling out from work, to be brokenhearted, to be stressed without ceasing, to help me deal with sitting on a nail for long periods of time or poverty or the blues. It is not your typical irresponsible drug like alcohol or heroin. I smoked because I was desperately trying to be responsible. I was working and going to school and paying bills on low wages. A pack of smokes was my pocket serenity prayer. Cigarettes helped me to accept the hundreds of things I couldn't change. It helped me to change the few difficult things I could change. I don't think it gave me the wisdom to know the difference, but it did help me wait out the storm until I figured something out.

Without cigarettes I couldn't have (enter any phrase here). And to give that up would be like giving up ink pens, drinking glasses, or silverware. I had no intentions of giving those things up. So, when my husband asked me last year to quit smoking, the answer was a very solid no.

Mr. Peasant said that some people at work had quit smoking by vaping, and he asked me to try it. He thought it might help me cut back. I had no idea what vaping was. I'm old school. I still use a flip phone and read books from the public library. Vaping and e-cigarettes were things I had to research. There are lots of  e-smoking devices, and it can feel overwhelming. I spent many hours trying to gleen information from vaping reviews and YouTube videos. I was having a hard time watching stoner-type people blowing huge plumes into the camera. Again, I smoked to be responsible. And then I found her in that sea of stoner-type junk videos. This video changed it all for me. Let me introduce you to your vaping fairy godmother. She will guide you in the world of vaping just as she guided me.

For new vapors video

Her Mig Cig review video


Things that helped me finally quit smoking. I know everyone is different, but I hope they can help you, too.

1. Start with a Vape and smoking combo. You don't have to break up with cigarettes cold turkey. If you can, more power to you.  If you can't then it's okay to be a hybrid. Every cigarette you don't smoke is a victory.

2. Doing it half-ass still counts. If you are waiting for the perfect time to begin, you will never start. I would say that I'd quit after this awful situation was over or when I didn't have a long commute. You know when life wasn't stressful. Life never stops being stressful. Start today.

3.  Explain to friends and family your extremely low bar you set for yourself. Say that you are vaping to cut back on cigarettes. Your goal is to smoke less not to quit. This will deter the vocal disappointments from others if they see you smoking a cigarette. You don't need the added stress of listening to their commentary every time you light up.

4. Get two levels of nicotine liquids/cartridges. Get one that has a regular amount of nicotine and get one that has zero nicotine. Why? Because sometimes you just want to go through the motions of smoking and don't really need the nicotine. For example, take a drag of your e-cigarette or smoke a regular cigarette. Get that nicotine in your system.Then, if you are getting into a heated debate or you are stuck in traffic or a long commute, use your zero nicotine e-cigarette. You don't want to chain vape. It can make you feel sick. Get your fix and then go to zero. You can still feed that oral physical compulsion minus the nicotine.  This also helps when you are around other smokers.

5. Realize it will never be just like smoking. It won't taste like smoking. It won't feel exactly like smoking. It's best to not expect that or you will be miserable. It is different. Although it's not exact, it's close. And it's alright. There are somethings that suck about it. And there are some things that are way better.

Examples: You can smoke inside. Your clothes won't smell. Your car won't smell. You can vape and your throat won't hurt. You will save hundreds of dollars a month. No one can bum a vape off you. You can take a puff in your parents bathroom at Christmas time. When it's freezing or raining outside, you can vape indoors. You will be able to hold your breathe longer under water.

6. Buy a Mig Cig. Why? Because it is easy to get started and it actually feels like smoking. I spent more time trying to figure out which device to get than actually using the device. Don't overthink it. Get the Mig Cig starter kit here: $40 starter kit.

--Choose one automatic and one push button. I liked the automatic for driving and the push button for home.

--Choose the stainless steel color.

--Choose the tobacco "flavored" cartridges. Mig Cigs has two tobacco flavored cartridges a red one (Marlboro like flavor) and a brown one (Camel like flavor). Buy one pack of each and see which one you like more. Remember to buy a pack of nicotine free cartridges, too.

Once out of the packages, there is no way to identify which cartridges have zero nicotine and
which ones have nicotine. I write a zero on the no nicotine cartridges with a Sharpe marker.

How did it go?

I started vaping March 2017. I vaped and smoked cigarettes for a month. Then, I just went to vaping full time. I didn't even think about it. I still have half a pack of stale cigarettes on the top of my fridge. I didn't put a deadline on myself. It just happened. One day, I preferred vaping. Crazy, right?

It gets even crazier. Three months later, I stopped vaping. YES. I just wasn't into nicotine. I mean I liked it. But I can honestly say for me, I was not addicted to nicotine. Maybe I was addicted to the rat poison or formaldehyde or tar. Or maybe they laced my cigarettes with a street drug? I don't know. But whatever sick nasty good stuff they put in cigarettes that made me want them whenever my eyes were open, it wasn't nicotine. It wasn't in my nicotine e-cigarette. I still use my e-cigarette sometimes when I am around smokers, but it's the zero level cartridge.  I still carry my e-cigarette in my purse in case I get into a fender bender in the Food Lion parking lot or for a long trip in the car. I find comfort in knowing that I have my Mig Cig around just in case I need it. I keep it in my tool box.

I hope this helps someone. Just try it. Do it. Every cigarette you don't smoke is a victory.  Half ass commit to cutting back today. Oh and the prayer above really helps, too.

Thank you for reading.